In this photo provided by the New York Stock Exchange, Coupang Founder and CEO Kim Bom-suk, third left, and his colleagues, joined by John Tuttle, NYSE Vice Chairman, second from right, rings the NYSE opening before his company's IPO on Mar. 11, 2021. AP-Yonhap

SEATTLE — Coupang is headquartered in Seattle, listed on the New York Stock Exchange and incorporated in Delaware. By its own definition, it is an American company.

But on a recent afternoon in South Lake Union, just blocks from Amazon’s sprawling campus, the name drew blank stares from passersby and office workers alike.

“I’ve lived here for 10 years and never heard of it,” said Jason Miller, a software engineer working nearby. “If it’s a Seattle company, it’s not one people here interact with.”

At a nearby coffee shop, marketing consultant Emily Chen said the label feels off. “When you say ‘American company,’ I think of something that operates here, hires here, has customers here,” she said. “This doesn’t sound like that.”

The disconnect underscores a growing tension as Coupang finds itself at the center of a geopolitical dispute between Washington and Seoul, drawing attention well beyond its core market.

U.S. Republican lawmakers have recently stepped in to defend the company, accusing South Korea of discriminating against American firms, with Coupang cited alongside major tech names. The push follows a sweeping South Korean investigation into a major data breach that exposed personal information from tens of millions of users, prompting regulatory scrutiny of the e-commerce giant.

Coupang has also ramped up its presence in Washington, spending millions of dollars on lobbying and government relations in recent years as it seeks to position itself as a U.S. corporate stakeholder despite its Korea-focused operations and customer base.

Still, the company’s identity remains murky to many Americans, even in the city it calls home.

Online, the gap between Coupang’s legal identity and public recognition has drawn a mix of confusion and skepticism.

Source: Korea Times News